We’re sinking in Solomons Island

Sunday, October 18, 2026

This morning we finish our shopping and reserve a mooring buoy at the Safe Harbor of Solomons Island, at Zahnisers Mooring Field. The price is very good: $51, including several services, among them free laundry!

We fill the boat with fresh water. We have to take advantage of it whenever we can, since we don't yet have a watermaker.

We finish preparing Éolo and I inspect the mooring lines. We remember that leaving the marina was complicated!

I therefore change the stern line. I leave only a half turn on the piling and secure the line to Éolo's cleat. Then I reduce the number of turns on the two forward pilings and remove the stern line on the port side.

I then completely remove the forward lines that are tied to the dock. I probably could have done it from Éolo, but the fear that a line would get caught makes me choose the other solution.

I then get on Éolo and release the last line while Jonathan backs out turning to port. Everything goes well, but the stress level is high! He still has to do a forward-and-back maneuver to straighten up, then we begin our exit into the fairway. I'm ready, boat hook in hand. You never know!

But everything goes perfectly well!

We leave the channel, hoist the sails and have to navigate around minefields of crab pots!

The Chesapeake Bay is full of sailboats under sail. It's wonderful!

Since we are running, we decide to go wing-on-wing. We make 5.8 knots, that's excellent! After some time, we realize it would be better to get back on the run. A bad maneuver then causes the sailboat to heel and I hear something slide, then go splash!

It's one of Jonathan's camera lenses! I keep telling him not to leave his stuff lying around in the cockpit! It's absolutely impossible to retrieve. We have to mourn its loss!

At 2:00 PM, after three hours of sailing, we douse the sails. The wind has dropped and we need to arrive before sunset. After 4.5 hours of motoring, we pick up a mooring buoy.

During our trip, we invited our friends to join us at the marina restaurant, but no one wants to come along. Since the restaurant will be closed Monday and Tuesday, we decide to go by ourselves!

We first decide to take a short outing with Miela, which could have turned into a shipwreck!

On the way back, we notice the dinghy is soft and a bit wet. Once back to the boat, we finally understand why: our feet are completely soaked! Jonathan launched the dinghy forgetting to close the drain plug!

So we return to the restaurant with wet feet!

We sit on the terrace, which is well sheltered and heated. We're very comfortable and music plays in the background.

The meal is excellent! A perfectly prepared duck with blueberries for me and a filet mignon cooked to perfection for Jonathan, accompanied by broccolini and asparagus. All preceded by an excellent carpaccio! Our server provides attentive service throughout the evening.

We therefore return to Éolo, satisfied!